Xinjun Xu

Analysis of Essential Oils from Cassia Bark and Cassia Twig Samples by GC-MS Combined with Multivariate Data Analysis

Cinnamomum cassia is one of several species of Cinnamomum which has been widely used as a spice. In this study, the chemical profiles of its bark and twig were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and multivariate data analysis. Principle component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA) of GC-MS data provided a clear separation between those samples. The result obviously showed that the metabolome of cinnamon bark (CB) and cinnamon twig (CT) is different, and the corresponding loading S-plots revealed that the differential metabolites between the essential oils of CB and CT were trans-cinnamaldehyde, trans-anethole, α-cubebene, γ-muurolene, γ-amorphene, δ-cadinene, (−)-calamenene, and o-methoxycinnamaldehyde. Our study demonstrates that the combination of GC-MS spectrum and multivariate data analysis can be applied to identify essential oils from different parts of C. cassia.

Simultaneous Quantification of Limonin, Two Indolequinazoline Alkaloids, and Four Quinolone Alkaloids in Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth by HPLC-DAD Method

A simple and efficient HPLC-DAD (225 nm) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of limonin and six key alkaloids (evodiamine, rutaecarpine, 1-methyl-2-undecyl-4(1H)-quinolone, evocarpine, 1-methy-2-[(6Z,9Z)]-6,9-pentadecadienyl-4-(1H)-quinolone, and dihydroevocarpine) in Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth, which has been widely used as one of the Traditional Chinese Medicines. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Hypersil BDS C18 column, and gradient elution was employed with a mobile phase containing acetonitrile and water. Contents of the analytes in 18 batches of samples were analyzed by ultrasonic extraction with ethanol and water mixture (80 : 20, v/v) followed by HPLC analysis. Separation of the seven analytes was achieved within 60 min with good linearity (r > 0.999). The RSD of both the intraday and interday precision was below 1.85%. The accuracy at different concentrations was within the range of 97.91 to 100.49%. Hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to differentiate and classify the samples based on the contents of the seven constituents. This study indicated that the quality control of E. rutaecarpa could be simplified to the measurement of four constituents, and that limonin, 1-methyl-2-undecyl-4(1H)-quinolone, and dihydroevocarpine should also be served as the chemical markers together with evodiamine for the quality control of Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth.

DNA Barcoding Identification of Kadsurae Caulis and Spatholobi Caulis Based on Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 Region and Secondary Structure Prediction.

Background: Kadsurae Caulis and Spatholobi Caulis have very similar Chinese names. Their commodities were hard to distinguish because their stems were very alike after dried and processed. These two herbal drugs were often mixed in clinical use. Objective: Authenticity assurance is crucial for quality control of herbal drugs. Therefore, it is essential to establish a method for identifying the two herbs. Materials and Methods: In this paper, we used the DNA barcoding technology, based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions, to differentiate Kadsurae Caulis and Spatholobi Caulis. Results: The ITS2 of these two herbs were very different. They were successfully differentiated using the DNA barcoding technique. Conclusions: DNA barcoding was a promising and reliable tool for the identification of medicinal plants. It can be a powerful complementary method for traditional authentication. SUMMARY The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions between Kadsurae Caulis and Spatholobi Caulis varied considerably, totally 139 variable sites Sample 1 was not Kadsurae Caulis as it labeled, but it should be Spatholobi Caulis in fact based on ITS2 region The secondary structure can also separate Kadsurae Caulis and Spatholobi Caulis effectively DNA barcoding provided an accurate and strong prove to identify these two herbs. Abbreviations used: CTAB: hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid, ITS2:internal transcribed spacer 2, PCR: polymerase chain reaction

A new bibenzyl derivative with nuclear factor-kappaB inhibitory activity from Schefflera arboricola (Araliaceae).

A new bibenzyl derivative (1), 4-acetoxy-3,5,3′,4′-tetramethoxybibenzyl, along with eight known compounds (2–9), was isolated from the twigs and leaves of Schefflera arboricola (Araliaceae). The isolated compounds were elucidated mainly by means of one-dimensional, two-dimensional NMR and MS, and by comparison with the literature data. Compounds 2–5 and 7–9 are first reported from this plant. In the in vitro assays, compound 1 displayed moderate nuclear factor-kappaB inhibitory activity.

Identification of three kinds of citri reticulatae pericarpium based on deoxyribonucleic acid barcoding and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry combined with chemometric analysis

Background: Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium is the dried mature pericarp of Citrus reticulata Blanco which can be divided into “Chenpi” and “Guangchenpi.” “Guangchenpi” is the genuine Chinese medicinal material in Xinhui, Guangdong province; based on the greatest quality and least amount, it is most expensive among others. Hesperidin is used as the marker to identify Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010. However, both “Chenpi” and “Guangchenpi” contain hesperidin so that it is impossible to differentiate them by measuring hesperidin. Objective: Our study aims to develop an efficient and accurate method to separate and identify “Guangchenpi” from other Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. Materials and Methods: The genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of all the materials was extracted and then the internal transcribed spacer 2 was amplified, sequenced, aligned, and analyzed. The secondary structures were created in terms of the database and website established by Jörg Schultz et al. High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray Ionization/mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS)/MS coupled with chemometric analysis was applied to compare the differences in chemical profiles of the three kinds of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. Results: A total of 22 samples were classified into three groups. The results of DNA barcoding were in accordance with principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Eight compounds were deduced from HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. Conclusions: This method is a reliable and effective tool to differentiate the three Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. Abbreviations used: CTAB: Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, ITS2: Internal transcribed spacer 2, PCR: Polymerase chain reaction.

Separation of Five Quinolone Alkaloids from Fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa by High-speed Counter-current Chromatography

Objective To develop a suitable method for the large-scale separation of quinolone alkaloids from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC).